Andre, John...thank you gentlemen for relating your thoughts and specifics on these aspects of the Chainglider; it has all been most helpful and has moved me further forward in terms of the knowledge I see.
Many times in my cycling career, I've found my particular use, riding style, or mileage has made my experiences "different" from others. Those other cyclists weren't wrong -- far from it, for their experiences were as valid and honest for them as mine were for me. No, the problem is I've often found myself cycling as an outlier. For well over a decade, my annual mileage was at or close to 12,000mi/19,000km. By trial and error, I've found what parts really do last in continued high service, and I hew to them because economics are part of the equation (I do things and live a life besides cycling; the monetary pie is only so large and only a fraction is dedicated to cycling. For example, quite a lot of cycle-travel can be funded for the cost of a complete replacement 9-sp drivetrain. When one can burn through three in a single summer, it adds up). Because I started "cycling with intent" as a means for rehabilitating some injuries related to a car wreck, I can't pedal with a lot of force but I spin like mad, so any drivetrain noise is repeated much more often than for others. I ride almost exclusively alone and in quiet places without earphones and enjoy nature, so low sound levels are important to me. Because I go alone into remote areas, I really do need to avoid things that can cause problems and delay or prevent my ready return on schedule with "enough" food and water remaining else things can quickly go Bad -- faster if I get hurt. At the same time, things that ensure a timely and safe return rise to the top of my kit wish list.
The mass of positive Chainglider reports on this list are moving this item further up my list, tempered by the knowledge my cycling and use are not always "typical".
We still haven't anything like a good grip on how the Chainglider performs its magic.
<nods> Surely this is part of the attraction and intrigue of the thing, but the research methodologist in me likes repeatably quanitifiable results. This is balanced by your caution....
that I'm satisfied the Chainglider is silent, in keeping with the nature of my bicycle, is no guarantee that it will be silent on your bike, Dan. Other Thorn riders have had varied experience along the path to arriving at a satisfactorily silent installation.
Exactly! This is what has stayed my hand, combined with the "problem" of having strayed from a more common Rohloff drivetrain configuration by using a 36x17 combo *and* an outboard-bearing BB. The unfortunate result is I'm locked out of some parts that would make trying a Chainglider both an easier and less expensive commitment and tend to make it an expensive and far riskier "all or nothing" proposition. For example, I have no idea why Surly has so severely their stainless chainring offerings in 104mm BCD.
Like you, Andre, I have for years (decades) ridden on the while line marking the edge of the traffic lane on country roads -- but
because it is quieter and the bike runs even more silently. After years of rolling my own, I now wear Cat-Ears wind deflectors
http://www.cat-ears.com/ ) so I can hear closing traffic and birdsong and animals even better. Do you know happily dining porcupines sound like a small child who has swallowed a kazoo?
You've just had a vibratory experience with a wheel/hub dynamo/?other components? that's baffled you for quite a while.
Yes, this one has me baffled at the moment. The vibrations seem to be the result of the fork/steerer being excited by the hub's magnetic eddy currents at certain speeds, transmitted through the axle-dropout connection. I've not yet figured how to address this problem. The SON28 is a huge step forward from my previous Sanyo Dynapower BB dynamo, especially in wet or muddy conditions -- no slippage or fouling -- but the Sanyo never introduced similar vibrations when running and of course had no drag when off.
I keep returning to the belief that we'd all arrive at nirvana faster if we knew how the Chainglider works.
Surely!
The Idworx chaincase seems sturdy but...
Exactly; it is even less proven in the experience of others -- at least across a range of non-Iworxian bikes, so even more of an Unknown Quantity for me, and also more expensive and "not intended" for my specific application. It would make an expensive ornament on the Mantle of Failed Expectations if it didn't work.
From John...
I seem to recall Frank Revelo saying he'd thrown his away...but where, I wonder? Somewhere in the Northern California forest? If so, it might be melted by now.
Despite the spate of recent wildfires, I've not given up hope! I've found more perfectly preserved "old things" in the backcountry than I can count, many seemingly out of place or context. Why would someone leave an electric bread toaster in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert? Seemingly in perfect condition, there were no tire tracks around it. Too big for crows to carry, unlikely prey of raptors, it just...was.
There's a wealth of things to be found far more relevant to cyclists, and I've surely tried. For an example of the bounty and the scenery showing the places I go, see:
http://rideoregonride.com/7-bikes-7-wonders/ When the initial video finished playing, click on the 7 more showing what was on offer (all have now been found).
Would used items be sold anywhere?
I've surely considered this and pursued it to a degree without success. It appears my size 590M Nomad would require a longer front section than is standard, thanks to its extended chainstays when the EBB is at greatest forward rotation.
on reasonably smooth tarmac, my Marathon Supremes' hum covers any brushing noise from the 'glider, and whenever I'm in the lower range of the Rohloff, that does the same.
Ah! The "brushing noise" is what I'd like to avoid. Hearing it 120 times a minute could quickly get old. My Rohloff is virtually silent (and likely destined to last forever) 'cos I nearly always ride/cruise in my direct-drive Gear 11 with my current gearing setup.
When I'm cycling, even at low speeds, I'm hard-pressed to notice either noise or drag from the 'glider.
Useful information indeed. My contact at Hebie tells me they recommend actively
greasing the chain to reduce both noise and drag over oil alone. I would imagine the grease is slathered over a well-oiled chain, most likely for the purpose of increasing "glide" -- though I've never heard of anyone doing this in practice, even among my all-weather cycling pals in The Netherlands and Germany.
{...when the case halves go a bit awry in closure] I can hear the chain rattling on (that portion of?) the 'glider, even at higher speeds, say 11th gear.
Ah, yes. The Chainglider does seem to have been made in at least two iterations, differing in part by the number and placement of the joining tabs. I have read occasional reports that one version worked better than another on a given rider's bike, resulting in a measurable degree of disappointment or elation, depending on the outcome.
Thanks again, fellow; all most helpful.
All the best,
Dan. (...who might be better off saving for a 3-D printer)
